Day 15: Phon Phisai - Bueng Kan - Frankie goes to.....Indochina

January 2, 2018

Day 15: Phon Phisai - Bueng Kan

Routing: #212

Unfortunately my day started at 2 am when two young gay men checked in to the room directly next to me. From a cyclists point of view I wish to salute them on their endurance performance. As somebody who had to perform himself that same day I wasn´t happy at all. I fully understand and do accept young people here very often don´t have the privacy of their own apartment but you still want some sleep too, don´t you? Anyways. They turned out to be very friendly young men when I got to talk to them in the morning while having a coffee in the lobby and my displeasure disappeared after only two sentences exchanged.

The ride today was entirely nondescript. I have never been really far
away from the river but I never saw it at the same time. At the same
time almost flat apart from a few undulated kilometers when leaving
Pak Khat. So the highlight of the day really was getting to the very
point where road makes that immensly important turn to the right,
on the map below found exactly in the little white box for the 212.
With the currently prevailing winter or northeastern monsoon I should
have the wind in my back from now on until the rivermouth down in
Vietnam. How good does that sound?

Just as I had parked my bike to take the photo below the sun broke through
for the very first time on an overcast but by no means unpleasant day. I believe in that sort of stuff! And on top of that: When I had taken the photo I saw a man on a bicycle rolling towards me. It was the male part of an extremely pleasant Slovenian couple who have been riding their bikes all over the world for many years. I had met them in my hotel in Phon Phisai last night and they had today decided to stay in some cute bungalows right next to that curve. They had spotted me while rolling past and stopping. We had a nice cup of tea at their bungalow before I continued to Bueng Kan. Hope to see you guys again soon!

I am very happy with the Saingoen Hotel in Bueng Kan at 450 B. A family run place who did everything to please me, in particular giving me the last room with windows as I am keen to avoid using the aircon so soon after that nasty cold. Ride down to the little roundabout and then left, left.

Coming home, to the hotel that is, with less than 20 photos speaks for the
unexciting ride itself. All the same I enjoyed my day and there is still the New Year Festival on the Bueng Kan Promenade to come.......

The owner of this garage was looking after hundreds of these. He kept pointing out the ones with the roots sticking out the most so that seems to be what a good gardener is aiming for

The second plant he was very proud of was this orchid bush. He can be seen in the background googling for the English names of his plants. Lovely man!

I´ve got no idea what this is meant to be be. What I know is: it´s big and it´s ugly

From here on my life on the road should be much, much easier. There will of course stretches where the wind might be a touch too easterly but this does not bother me at all

8 km before Bueng Kan this beauty was waiting for me. Only for 4 km but still a welcomed relief from the dense holiday traffic

I was really impressed with the size of stage and show. Big Band and dance performance which I thoroughly enjoyed

I then did manage to compensate for my rather modest New Year´s Eve "celebrations". Probably the best take away I ever had - grilled mini squids and cuttlefish. Outstandingly yummy!

Finishing off the evening with some enjoyable acoustic music at the Riverside Cafe

Today's ride: 95 km (59 miles)
Total: 1,231 km (764 miles)

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